The Oswego State men's basketball team survived its second round contest of the NCAA Division III Championship 78-77 over Gwynedd Mercy University on Saturday night in Mareitta College's Ban Johnson Arena. With the win, the Lakers advance out of the second round and into the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. Oswego is now 22-8 on the year while the Griffins fall to 22-7.
For the second-straight night, Oswego used the heroics of Brian Sortino to capture the victory. Gwynedd Mercy led just twice in the second half, both times by one point, with the last advantage coming at 77-76 after two made free-throws with 24 seconds remaining. Sortino once again showed his poise, shook his defender and knocked down a jumper with seven seconds left on the clock. The Griffins were able to get a 3-point look from the corner at the buzzer, but the ball rimmed out as Oswego escaped with the triumph.
Sortino finished second on the team in scoring with 17 points, following Keith Tyson's 19-point performance. All of Tyson's points came in the first half as he led the Lakers to a 49-41 edge at the break. Also aiding on the offensive end were a duo of seniors, as Kyle Covley and Alex Rawa each finished with 12 points. For the second-consecutive night, Rawa set a new career-high (15 rebounds on Friday), this time in assists, dishing out eight helpers.
On the glass, Mark Candelario anchored Oswego with a game-high 12 rebounds while Rawa and Tyson evenly split another 12 boards. The Lakers owned the glass again on Saturday, this time by a margin of 11 (36-25).
Both teams shot well from the floor throughout the game, as Oswego shot 50.9% and Gwynedd Mercy shot 50.8%. The difference came from distance as the Lakers made nearly half its 3-point attempts (10-for-21) while the Griffins knocked down just shy of one-third (7-for-22) of their chances.
Despite the tight outcome, Oswego did possess the lead for 36:13 of a possible 40 minutes in the tilt.
The Lakers will now face The College of Wooster in the round of 16 next Friday. Times and location of the game will be determined by the NCAA on Sunday.
